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"Another hot spot for stripers has been the E/W Channel early in the a.m., with live porgies the key"
That is a verbatim written quote from the OCTOBER 3 edition of a well-known weekly fishing rag. It appeared in the report section, which is a recap of the PREVIOUS week's activity. The written cutoff time to make the edition is clearly stated as 7:00PM on that Sunday. This means that the stripers caught on porgies were during the period when the porgy fishery was CLOSED to the recreational angler!!!
The report was called in by what I believe is a reputable tackle shop. That shop had to have been hurting from the lack of business that the Porgy closure heaved upon the other shops around the Metro area. I know that I heard that complaint from my regular shop as well as from friends that frequent others.
Yeah, I know that some of you are thinking that the report forgot to mention that the stripers were used by party or charter boats that were allowed to keep legal sized porgies.
I ain't going for that fluff!!
Every place I look, or forum that I peruse, I see the same gripes: Too many restrictions, unfair size limits, illegal fish selling, short or closed seasons, blah, blah, blah.
I had just finished reading the latest conservation report on flawed weakfish data. There were all sorts of bad tidings about how we are going to get screwed on that fishery in the future. And then I come across that report that happens in the present at my back door!
So what do we do about it? Is this the message that we want sent? "
"Hey fishermen, you?re gonna get screwed with restrictions and bans. But don't worry, you can still use 'em for bait!"
I think not!
Now don't get me wrong. I have used porgies, sea bass, black fish and others as live bait for stripers. But when the size and seasonal restrictions began getting tougher in the past years, I stopped. Besides, I hadn?t had much luck with using 10" porgies or 11" (now 11.5") sea bass. I either missed the infrequent hook set or they were just too big, in my opinion.
But the main reason I stopped is that some all-knowing authority felt that the bio mass was not balanced and the take should be reduced. Besides what's a law any way, right? WRONG!
The fact that the publisher printed the report is just plain irresponsible or callous journalism! At least put an editor's note reminding people of the restrictions on porgies. How many people are running around live lining illegal porgies this week because they read about it in that rag last week?!
And if one of those "lucky" anglers catches a keeper, how many of his unknowing or naive friends are going to run out and do the same?
We all know that the 2-week closure was a crock to begin with, but what kind of message does this send? Is it that anglers will stop at nothing to catch a fish? I think not and I want not!!
Maybe I am over reacting to this situation. If I am, than this is just a harmless exercise in futility. As a lone angler I am just a voice or some words on paper. There is little that I can control by myself.
One thing I can control is where and how I spend my money. A reader and subscriber for more almost 30 years, I AM NO LONGER!
Thanks for letting me vent, although I really don't feel better.
That is a verbatim written quote from the OCTOBER 3 edition of a well-known weekly fishing rag. It appeared in the report section, which is a recap of the PREVIOUS week's activity. The written cutoff time to make the edition is clearly stated as 7:00PM on that Sunday. This means that the stripers caught on porgies were during the period when the porgy fishery was CLOSED to the recreational angler!!!
The report was called in by what I believe is a reputable tackle shop. That shop had to have been hurting from the lack of business that the Porgy closure heaved upon the other shops around the Metro area. I know that I heard that complaint from my regular shop as well as from friends that frequent others.
Yeah, I know that some of you are thinking that the report forgot to mention that the stripers were used by party or charter boats that were allowed to keep legal sized porgies.
I ain't going for that fluff!!
Every place I look, or forum that I peruse, I see the same gripes: Too many restrictions, unfair size limits, illegal fish selling, short or closed seasons, blah, blah, blah.
I had just finished reading the latest conservation report on flawed weakfish data. There were all sorts of bad tidings about how we are going to get screwed on that fishery in the future. And then I come across that report that happens in the present at my back door!
So what do we do about it? Is this the message that we want sent? "
"Hey fishermen, you?re gonna get screwed with restrictions and bans. But don't worry, you can still use 'em for bait!"
I think not!
Now don't get me wrong. I have used porgies, sea bass, black fish and others as live bait for stripers. But when the size and seasonal restrictions began getting tougher in the past years, I stopped. Besides, I hadn?t had much luck with using 10" porgies or 11" (now 11.5") sea bass. I either missed the infrequent hook set or they were just too big, in my opinion.
But the main reason I stopped is that some all-knowing authority felt that the bio mass was not balanced and the take should be reduced. Besides what's a law any way, right? WRONG!
The fact that the publisher printed the report is just plain irresponsible or callous journalism! At least put an editor's note reminding people of the restrictions on porgies. How many people are running around live lining illegal porgies this week because they read about it in that rag last week?!
And if one of those "lucky" anglers catches a keeper, how many of his unknowing or naive friends are going to run out and do the same?
We all know that the 2-week closure was a crock to begin with, but what kind of message does this send? Is it that anglers will stop at nothing to catch a fish? I think not and I want not!!
Maybe I am over reacting to this situation. If I am, than this is just a harmless exercise in futility. As a lone angler I am just a voice or some words on paper. There is little that I can control by myself.
One thing I can control is where and how I spend my money. A reader and subscriber for more almost 30 years, I AM NO LONGER!
Thanks for letting me vent, although I really don't feel better.
